Ben by Michael Jackson

Ben is the second studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on the music charts than Jackson's previous studio album, having charted within the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at number 12 in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France. The album released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success on the music charts, topping both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian ARIA charts, giving Jackson his first number 1 single, domestically and internationally. "Ben" also charted within the top 10 in other territories worldwide. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but was cancelled for unspecified reasons. Two of the album's songs were "stripped" in 2009 as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection. The album was released by Motown Records, his second studio album for the label as a solo artist, in August 1972. As part of promotion for the album, "Ben" was released as the album's lead and only single in July 1972. "Ben" was a commercial success worldwide, generally charting within the top 10 and top 20 positions on the music charts. The song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was Jackson's first, of what would be 13 songs, to top that chart during his career as a solo artist. “Ben" also charted on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 3 and 5. "Ben" charted within the top 10 on the Dutch Top 40 chart, peaking at number 2 and number 7 on the U.K. Singles Chart, as well as charting at number 14 in Australia. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but was cancelled for unspecified reasons. Ben was more successful on music charts in both the U.S. and worldwide compared to Jackson's previous studio album. The album peaked at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200; becoming Jackson's first of what would be six studio albums to peak within the top 10 on that chart. Ben also peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On January 13, 1973, Ben debuted on the U.K. Album Chart at its peak position, number 17. The album remained within the country's music chart's top 50 positions for seven consecutive weeks. On January 1, 1973, the album was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry for shipping 60,000 units across the U.K. After Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity. The album charted on the French music charts on July 25, 2009, at its peak position of number 162. Ben remained within the country's top 200 positions for two consecutive weeks. ℗ 1972 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.